Welcome to 2030, this is a future with our internet powered by microalgae. This is a future with a regenerative internet. What does the world look like with algae powering up our telecommunication? The project invites all of you to rethink our internet and the sustainability of our digital life and speculate on future infrastructures that are ran in a regenerative way.
Phytonet is building an algae-powered internet for the river and canal community in the UK as a pilot project. The network collects canal water quality data and shares them with the community via a local area network built with a community-run, algae-powered internet infrastructure. By harnessing the electron flows during microalgal photosynthesis, we can generate electricity to power up web servers, routers and IoT devices.
A regenerative Internet of water
Phytonet
Project Team
Maria Li
Dr. Lorraine Archer (University of Cambridge)
Dr. Paolo Bombili (University of Cambridge)
Year
2022 - Ongoing
Location
London, United Kingdom

Microalgae photosynthetic electrode experiment

Microalgae and phytoplankton community in Regent's Canal

What if our internet is regenerative?

Microalgae photosynthetic electrode experiment